Travel / Working abroad as a Software Developer

k2788

I'm interested to hear from developers who have worked in long term or contract positions outside of Ireland be it Asia, America or Europe.

Id like to travel abroad while working but its fairly difficult to find information online about the software development market in countries and cities in terms of working hours, pay, flexibility, experience required, competition with locals etc. It's even more difficult if the country doesn't speak English as a first language.

I'm particularly interested in large Asian cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, but any interesting stories or job hunting advice in any city would be helpful.

I'm not worried about working visas or relocation issues just yet as I wont be moving anywhere any time soon but its better to start the research early in order to make plans and start building up the portfolio.

jester77

If you have the relevant experience then it is easy to find a job, good developers are in high demand. Any company that would want to hire you will take care of accommodation, visas and relocation costs. Language should not be an issue in larger companies as the business language is usually English, however language spoken among colleagues would be the native language.

The easiest route to moving is to start working locally for a company that has offices in your desired location and request an internal transfer at a later date.

14ned

It was twenty years ago for me now since I did a two year stint in Madrid. I'd recommend working abroad for a bit, gives you a very different perspective on things from staying exclusively in the Anglo Saxon employment sphere. What I mean is that working in US/Canada/UK/Ireland/Australia is a variation on a single theme, whereas working in even Continental Europe is very different indeed in terms of the employer/employee social contract and the difference in value systems. You can multiply that again several fold for Asia and elsewhere.

As a native English speaker with a high demand skillset, landing a job ought to be unproblematic if you are willing to relocate anywhere, even if you don't speak a word of the local language (like I didn't, originally). You may even find an employer willing to pay for your relocation. Do expect hefty income discounts though, roughly following any cost of living differentials combined with any payroll tax differences (e.g. in France a third of your income is paid by the employer in payroll taxes before your gross pay, so gross income is correspondingly lower than in other countries). So be realistic about salary offers.

Also, bear in mind most countries don't have their white collar workers work as hard as here. For example, in Germany they might work 1200 hours per year as compared to the 1800 hours per year here in Ireland. So also adjust salary expectations for that as well.

And good luck with the relocation! You'll be improved as a person afterwards!

Niall

rainbow kirby

5 years working in London for a large satellite telecoms company and just started a new job doing Python development for a fintech company in Manchester. I haven't found it that much different to working in Dublin - but friends of mine who moved to Germany would have had a very different experience.

Jim2007

This summer was a significant milestone for me, I have now lived longer in Switzerland than in Ireland 28 years! Of this 21 years has been as a contract working mostly for Swiss MNCs, banks and pharma.

As I think others have mentioned, the work life balance is very different. We work a 42.5 hour week and no more, 15 mins after knocking off time and the office will be empty. Overtime is not part of the culture and it reflects badly on a manager who has to request approval from his boss for the team to do overtime!

Language wise Switzerland is different because it has four national languages and very often to avoid favouring one over another the go for English as the company working language, even if they are not international. But to integrate and share in the crack it is worth making the effort to learn the local language.

Finding jobs is not too difficult, check out the usual sources: JobServe, LinkedIn, Monsrer etc.. Recruitment in the permanent sector can take months, the usual notice period is 2 to 3 months, so no one is in any hurry. The contract side is much like other countries. Of course as an EU citizen you have no issue with work permits.

Switzerland is a very expensive country and in many ways the only way to enjoy it is to work there. On the other hand it is not a consumer society. The credit in credit card is the time between buying the item and when you pay the statement off in full at the end of the month. New cars are normally paid for in cash when you collect then at the dealership and if you spend more than a month’s on your wedding including the honeymoon, it is considered very foolish!

If you enjoy the outdoors then there is a lot on offer, within two hours you can be on the slopes enjoying snowboarding or skiing in winter or hiking etc in summer.